The Nazarene Cipher

I created the Nazarene Cipher over the course of seven years. It stands thirteen feet high and six feet wide and features one hundred and eighty-six illustrated panels. It was constructed using a number of unique materials including wood, Paper Mache, sculpted clay, costume jewelry, glass, stone, metal, pearls, animal hide, and gold leaf. The work is dimensional and juxtaposes flat, painted surfaces with raised, sculptural elements, some lifting two inches or more off the surface.

The Cipher was created in three sections, each one with a solid, wood backing. These sections slot together and hang as a single piece on the wall. Each one has a number of 12 x 12 cm wooden panels attached to it. Each panel has been meticulously hand crafted and painted using various materials. The entire piece weighs a little more than 110 lbs.

Skee Goedhart Fine Art

I have been working as an artist for more than 30 years now. I was born in Paris, raised in London and presently live and work in Los Angeles. In many ways I am a product of my childhood, I grew up in an extremely unusual and highly surreal environment. Both my parents were skaters in the world's largest touring ice show. From my earliest memories I can recall being immersed in a sea of color and spectacle: lavish costumes, massive painted backdrops, showgirls, peacock feathers, skating chimpanzees and sparkling rhinestones. It was out of this creative soup that I began to express myself through art.

Animals have always played a central role in my life. Growing up surrounded by animals and learning about their amazing personalities has brought me great solace and stability during rough times. In so many respects animals represent the very best of what it is to be human. They are always true to themselves, nonjudgemental, devoted parents, undaunted in their drives and utterly courageous in the face of danger. I love representing creatures of all shapes and sizes, although I tend to focus upon ones that I find uniquely interesting, comical or endangered. As a vegetarian i'm fascinated with the relationship we have with our food and I enjoy painting animals that play an central role in this aspect of our daily lives.

Another life-long interest, which you will see reflected in my shop, is a love and fascination for the diversity of the world's spiritual / religious traditions. This includes their theology, mythology, folklore and the notion and juxtaposition between the sacred and the profane. After receiving a bachelors in studio art from Florida State University I attended a seminary and earned a master of divinity. Part of this study involved tracing central themes and motifs that run throughout many religious systems. Along with their overall structure i've always been fascinated by the idea of achieving trance states and accessing other worlds. Be that seen with the shamans of the Peruvian Amazon, the desert fathers of Eastern Orthodoxy, or the great fakirs of India, humans have always possessed an inborn desire to transcend this present existence and experience the sublime.

Over the course of my career, my work has evolved and transformed in many ways but certain elements have remained fixed. One of these is the idea of the externalization of the psyche. This is often seen represented in my paintings as a single, solitary figure (wether human or non human) who stares out from the canvas, directly at the viewer. This character literally wears their internal condition (their emotional / psychological / spiritual state) on the outside of their body; their soul has become their clothing if you will.

As well as being an artist, I work as a hypnotherapist and have a practice here in southern California. I have been using hypnosis and art together as a way of helping my clients overcome fears, gain focus and access untapped creativity. My present painting series involves creating pieces of art that can actually be used as a tool for entering the hypnotic state. Clients sit directly in front and gaze at the painting and then I use it as a doorway to guide them into the subconscious mind.